How to Paint a Room With a Tinker Bell Theme
Painting a wall mural featuring Tinker Bell might seem like a difficult task, especially to those who consider themselves "home decorating challenged." However, you don't need to be an artist or a professional decorator to paint a dazzling design -- that is, if you use an art projector. These handy machines project images onto your walls in large scale, so that you can trace them directly onto the wall, with no free-hand drawing required. After that, all that you need to do is fill the drawing in with paint. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Damp sponge
- Soapy water
- Drop cloth
- Tinker Bell drawing on a transparency
- Art projector
- Pencil
- Acrylic craft paints
- Artist paintbrushes, several sizes
- Black permanent marker
Instructions
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Make a transparency with a picture of Tinker Bell on it. First, find Tinker Bell's likeness in a story book, coloring book or even on a greeting card or party napkin. If it's a color picture, make a black-and-white photocopy of it, then have the photocopy copied onto a transparency. You can do this with your home copier, or have a copy shop do it for you. Another option is to trace Tinker Bell's picture directly onto the transparency using a fine-point or medium-point permanent marker or dry erase marker. Keep your original color picture for reference when painting.
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Spread a drop cloth on the floor under your work area, and wipe down your wall with a sponge and soapy water to remove any grease, dirt and dust. Let dry completely.
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Plug in the art projector and turn its light on. Place the Tinker Bell transparency on the projector's platform. Use trial and error to position the picture on your wall just the right way. Move the projector closer or farther away, to the left or to the right until you are happy with the picture's size and placement on the wall. Use the projector's focus knob to get the clearest picture possible. Make sure the projector is squarely facing the wall. If it is turned at a diagonal, even just a little, it will distort the image it is projecting on the wall.
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Trace the Tinker Bell image onto the wall with a pencil. Use the eraser for any mistakes.
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Turn the projector off and fill in the image in with paint, using the original color picture as a reference. It works best to paint one color at a time. Fill in every portion of the image that is in your first color, then wash your brush and move on to then next color, until all portions of the image have been filled in. Allow each color to dry before moving on to the next. This will keep the colors from bleeding into one another. If you make a mistake and the paint is still wet, wipe it off as best you can with a tissue or a damp rag. If the paint has dried, simply paint over your mistake, using as many coats as it takes to cover the mistake completely..
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Apply a second coat of each color, if needed. Your mural will look more professional if the colors are solid and do not show streaks or brush marks. A second coat, or in some cases a third coat, will cover streaks and mask brush marks.
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Outline and add detail with a black permanent marker, essentially tracing over much of your original pencil outline. This will add a finished, professional look to your mural. Use the marker also to add small details, such as eyelashes.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't own an art projector, ask around and you may find a friend who will loan you one. Schools and public libraries may also allow you to borrow one. Many equipment rental stores have them available to use for a small fee.
Get creative. You don't have to stop with an image of Tinker Bell. For example, add in other characters or background detail, such as trees and flowers. Additionally, you don't have to stop with one wall. Try painting several smaller Tinker Bell images throughout the room.
If you decide that painting a Tinker Bell wall mural isn't a project you feel comfortable attempting, you can still create a magical Tinker Bell theme room for your daughter. Consider using a premade Tinker Bell wall mural or a set of stick-on wall decals, both of which are widely available from numerous retailers. An even easier option is to paint the walls a single color and then simply incorporate Tinker Bell themed bedding, window coverings and accessories, all of which are easily found at many stores. The latter option allows you to more easily redecorate and change the theme of the room once your daughter outgrows her Tinker Bell stage.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
